Only roasted maple in the future?

[micguy]

IMHO, Roasted maple is the fad de jure.

Roasting wood for stability purposes has been done for over 1400 years. That's a heck of a long fad.

 

[DJ Bebop]

This is factually correct ^

There were many people groups, but I guess Scandinavian would be the proper term? Scythian maybe if we're going back to days of the Roman empire. Or just calling everything "Gaul" or "Celt" that is west of Greece? lol

Norsemen is another one

 

[jTrolt]

I'm going to call bunk on the enthusiastic claims of stability that seem to suggest they don't move enough to need regular adjustment.
My Sadowsky Metro Express took a LOT of cranking and excessive time period for it to finally yield into proper relief.
Then the seasons changed.

I've finally acclimated myself to the wrench-bending process of adjusting that excessively stiff neck, and decided the truss rod does work, only because I need to crank on it every bit as frequently as any other instrument I own. And wait a few days for it to settle into proper relief.
It moves.
Just slower, with much more resistance.

My experience simply indicates it's different, not necessarily better or worse, other than the ongoing concern of how long that truss rod will last before stripping out against the excessive force needed to adjust that neck seasonally. I'll be avoiding roasted necks going forward.
There are pluses and minus's to an unnaturally stiff neck.
Maybe I got a lemon.
YMMV

 

[darwin-bass]

I dislike roasted maple simply due to the look. I like maple to be light tan, you know, like maple.

Since roasting removes the need for a finish it would seem roasted necks would be a cost saving change. If it is cheaper, then it will eventually be everywhere as manufacturers continue to find ways to cut costs.

 

[fretlessman71]

I notice an increase in the use of roasted maple for necks on production basses. Even low cost production basses. Do you think all maple necks will eventually be roasted?

I hope not. Roasted Maple doesn't sound good to me at all. It's like they cooked the backbone right out of the tone.

 

[Water buffalo]

Roasting wood for stability purposes has been done for over 1400 years. That's a heck of a long fad.

I agree, but you miss my point.

Everywhere you look, manufacturers, big and small are touting... "Now with roasted necks!". I believe it will always be viable, but at some point, some other wood/feature will become te next big thing.

 

[micguy]

I agree, but you miss my point.

Everywhere you look, manufacturers, big and small are touting... "Now with roasted necks!". I believe it will always be viable, but at some point, some other wood/feature will become te next big thing.

I understand the point you are making, but a more stable neck (we have ample proof that torrefaction does that) is not going to be a fad. it's something that adds real value that matters to people, and although not every bass will have a roasted neck, there will be roasted necks on basses for many years to come. Not a fad.

 

[Water buffalo]

I understand the point you are making, but a more stable neck (we have ample proof that torrefaction does that) is not going to be a fad. it's something that adds real value that matters to people, and although not every bass will have a roasted neck, there will be roasted necks on basses for many years to come. Not a fad.

Again, yes. But, no. Get back with me in ten years. YMMV.

 

[micguy]

Again, yes. But, no. Get back with me in ten years. YMMV.

I've been building with roasted necks for 10 years. Once I converted, I'm there, not a fad.

 

[Wood and Wire]

I notice an increase in the use of roasted maple for necks on production basses. Even low cost production basses. Do you think all maple necks will eventually be roasted?

IMHO, Roasted maple is the fad de jure. That may sound harsh, I do like it, but I like a lot of alternatives as well. It's kind of like swamp ash, in the beginning it was kind of a special thing. A few years down the road, everywhere you look... Swamp ash bodies. Roasted woods seem to be following the same path.

I vote carrots.

YMMV.

Look at it this way :

The longer it's popular, the longer stocks of properly seasoned maple blanks have to recover.

In the meantime, I'd expect roasting to become the norm, if just to help keep instrument costs down - and for instruments using seasoned, figured maple to be at a premium.

 

[OldManNewBass]

A trend I'd like to see would be one-piece (neck + fretboard) roasted quartersawn maple necks...! ;^p

 

[LowWay]

My last custom had a roasted maple neck. As a result of how much I love it, my next 2 will too.

Zoom in on that neck and tell me it’s ugly.

 

[Water buffalo]

I've been building with roasted necks for 10 years. Once I converted, I'm there, not a fad.

As I've said, get back with me in ten years. You seem to have a problem with that.

As I also said, YMMV.

 

[JPbass77]

I've always preferred the look of mahogany or rosewood over maple and same goes with roasted maple. It's nice having a solid one piece neck, roasted maple just doesn't look right to me.

I ended up getting a solid rosewood neck from warmoth for my strat. Looks and feels great.

 

[JPbass77]

My last custom had a roasted maple neck. As a result of how much I love it, my next 2 will too.

View attachment 7226943

Zoom in on that neck and tell me it’s ugly.

That looks nice but it's also a custom piece with select wood. You can't compare that to the average mass produced instruments with roasted maple.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I agree, but you miss my point.

Everywhere you look, manufacturers, big and small are touting... "Now with roasted necks!". I believe it will always be viable, but at some point, some other wood/feature will become te next big thing.

I have noticed the same thing on frets. “Now with stainless steel frets!”

In fact the roasted maple neck bass I got also has stainless steel frets. A first for both, for me.

 

[jTrolt]

I've been building with roasted necks for 10 years. Once I converted, I'm there, not a fad.

So I have to ask, given your expertise, is my instrument with an excessively stiff roasted neck that's hard to adjust and literally bending the truss rod adjustment tool to do so considered normal, or an anomaly?

 

[DJ Bebop]

So I have to ask, given your expertise, is my instrument with an excessively stiff roasted neck that's hard to adjust and literally bending the truss rod adjustment tool to do so considered normal, or an anomaly?

All I have to say is, I am glad mine had the right relief out of the box, so far.

 

[micguy]

So I have to ask, given your expertise, is my instrument with an excessively stiff roasted neck that's hard to adjust and literally bending the truss rod adjustment tool to do so considered normal, or an anomaly?

Roasted necks are somewhat stiffer, but not drastically so - maybe 10%. The big advantage of a roasted neck is that the stresses have been "annealed" out of it, so it's stable. There are non roasted woods (Wenge, for example) that are stiffer that roasted maple (but nowhere near as light). So........ If you truss rod tool is bending, it's not the fault of the wood. All my basses are 5's at this point (with nice wide and thick necks made out of roasted maple), and they adjust just fine.

 

[B-Mac]

I notice an increase in the use of roasted maple for necks on production basses. Even low cost production basses. Do you think all maple necks will eventually be roasted?

Need Carrots choice for poll.
It’s a fad. And looking at Sweet Water, Zzzounds, Musicians Friend I don’t see any where what you claim to see as far as roasty toasty is concerned.

It’s just an option like a string through bridge or string through body or bone nut or brass nut or rounded fretboard edges, etc. it isn’t the end all be all.